20 seconds of courage
by rumor.williams
Summary: When a little girl is trapped in a fire Emily is the only one with the guts to try to save her. will her life end in a matter of moments as she tries to be the hero or will a positive oucome prevail for not only Emily but also Alexi?
1. Chapter 1

Emily sat at her desk staring as her large stack of files that had piled up over the past week. The whole thought of having to concentrate on them for so long made her stomach turn uncontrollably. She took a deep breath and looked around for someone like Reid who if she asked nicely would do half the stack for her, but instead her eyes caught those of JJ. She was rushing through the bullpen door with Garcia close behind. Their heels taped to the same beat as they made their way to the briefing room. Before she walked into the room Garcia turned over her right shoulder and yelled "this is a bad on my pretties I need all my superheroes."

They stood up quickly and headed to their seats that were scattered around a big round table in the center of the room. It wasn't a time to be smiling but Emily couldn't help it, this case had saved her from hours of unpleasant paperwork she truly did not want to finish. That grin was suddenly wiped away as Garcia began to flash pictures of mutilated bodies and photos of victims across the screens. "Welcome to the sick twisted neighborhood we call the Atlanta suburbs, everyone meet the Carter and the Preston family. Over the past week they were found dead in their homes, some by gunshot and others by shallow cut and stab wounds to the… well everything." Pressing a button a pictures of their families appeared. Like the normal family there was a mother and a father flowed by average looking children, boys and girls all under the age of eighteen. They where all tale and slim with light brown or blond hair, they looked incredibly happy but it is very easy to look happy for a quick minute.

"Were these home invasions?" Rossi asked as he flipped through the files on his tablet looking at more gruesome and disturbing photos.

"Point one for Rossi, indeed it was." Garcia said cheerfully trying to bright up the room with her witty comments and spunky attitude.

"The youngest was just two, this guy killed a baby. What kind of sick person would do that?" JJ said her nostrils flaring and you could imagine steam coming out of her ears.

Reid was turning the pages in his files quickly trying to find something that didn't make sense "it looks like they all died at different times." He shuffled through the file trying to find the exact time of dead for each family member "M. Carter and M. Preston died around six pm and then the youngests weren't killed until early morning around five. He probably killed the father first because he knew he wouldn't be able to control someone of his strength. He's killing them in order of age."

Morgan thought back to an old case he worked not long after he joined the BAU. "Or this could like the Fox, to control his victims he would lock the kids in a different room then the parent and the say something like if you scream I will have to kill mommy. Except he would do this over the span of a couple days and this guy is finish the job in one night. Maybe it was just that he could control the youngest best."

The serious expression on Hotch face never changed as he looked up from his iPad "wheels up in thirty okay" he said as she slowly stood from his seat and walked down the catwalk to his office.

Atlanta

After setting up there bulletin board and other essentials. After meeting the detectives on the case they all split up. Reid was working and the geographical profile while JJ worked victimology at the table beside him. Detective Sparks was a large man who quit enjoyed his donuts to the team her was a jokester to say the least, he had been asked to take Morgan and Emily to the last crime scene. He seemed quite pleasant until he found out they did not feel the same love for donuts as he did. None the less he seemed like a nice man.

It was almost nine thirty by the time they were done thoroughly looking over the crime scenes checking for mistakes or other dead giveaway for their profile. They all jumped into the SUV (sparks in the driver seat, Morgan in the messenger and Prentiss in the back) when the Detectives cell began to ring. "Hello, detective Sparks." He said loudly catching the attention of both agents in the vehicle. "Of could one moment." He pulled the Suburban to the side of the road and spun his head around quickly looking at Emily in a very serious fashion. "Agent Hotchner said her would like to turn on your phone and call "Garcia".

She dialed the number and waited for the ring until she herd Penelope's bright voice great her with an "Emily? Good Hotch told me you would be calling. I'm PMSing so I'm an emotional train reek and then I was sent this recording of this little girl who sound scared as hell that totally made me cry…"

"Ummm, Garcia you're on speaker"

"Hey baby girl!"Morgan added as to make it none he was present.

"Morgan? Ignore the rest of this conversation okay and Prentiss you could have told me that there where men listening to us first." Her voice frazzled in embarrassment.

"Okay next time I will, anyways what recording you got" she said with a laugh.

"Here listen very carefully" and with that Garcia pressed play.

"911 what's your emergency?" the 911 operator lady answered with.

"There's someone our house. He killed my daddy." She whispered quietly as not to draw attention to herself.

"What's you name sweetie"

"Alexi Taylor-Watson." her voice began to shake slightly as she listened to loud footsteps pacing at the door of her room as she hid under her bed.

"Alexi can you see this man and does he know where you are."

"No but he shot daddy and her took mommy downstairs and her tied Michel and Danny in their rooms and he ducked taped our mouths but I got away. He made us watch him Kill daddy." she almost silent whimpers began to get louder.

"it's okay darling the police are on their way." She comforted

"I can hear him; he's right outside my door. He's coming please help me!" the unsub reached under the bed and grabbed the Alexi pulling her out it to the hall. "AHH! Please don't hurt me no please I'll do anything you want just please don't hurt me." Her screams caused tears to form in Emily's eyes.

"How far are we from the crime scene Garcia?" Morgan asked as she snapped back on his seat belt.

"You about three blocks away but this guy got away. Then he lit the house on fire to cover up something." Garcia answered with and then without a good bye she hung up.

Emily ran her fingers through her hair slowly pulling it back into a ponytail. 'I guess know wear were going."

As they approached the house smoke was piling out the open windows filling the crisp cool night air. There where firefighters with their bright red trucks spraying water over the blazes. Detective Sparks swerved to a stop as they jumped out and ran over to a paramedic standing by an ambulance. They could hear muffled quiet barely audible screams.

"Are you just going to stand here" Emily questioned rudely to one the firefighters leaning up against a telephone pole as she checked his texts.

He jumped and looking up to her "it way to dangerous." He barked back then walked away.

'Can't you hear her screams? Can't you hear how scared she is? How can you walk away from that?" She yelled after him. He stopped for a quick second, heard his heads around and rolled his eyes then kept on moving. Her heart was racing as she dropped her coat on the ground and darted her way towards the front door.

"Emily!" Morgan shouted

"I can't just stand hear and watch her die, I have to something." She said as she disappeared into the a puff of smoke.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it took so long I was having a hard time with idea's for this one... I think you will like this thought. I'm not planning on making it really long like maybe five six chapters nothing too much. Not too short but not too long!**_**this is the first time i have ever not used a beta so please review and tell me if it's okay because my English is not great yet!:(**_

_**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**_

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She could not see anything. The fire had shorted out electricity to the house, and the room was rapidly filling with thick gray smoke. She got down on her hands and knees and crawled feeling her way around because the toxic smoke was making her lung and eyes ache. As she crawled closer to the fire she could start to see a faint orange glow through the smoke. The only thing guiding she was the little girl's screams and cries getting weaker then completely stopping. Flames surrounded her causing her to sweat, she felt like she was being cook like a chicken. She watched as the archway over the kitchen door caved in sending sparks in her direction burning small dots on Emily's right forearm. The stress of being in this unfamiliar burning building and the pain caused by the heat and burns made Emily shake uncontrollably. She heard a tiny almost inaudible cry as her hand gently touched another smaller arm. As she saw the bright pink sparkly nail polish she instantly knew it was Alexi. "My leg is stuck." She screeched in a panicked tone with what little strength she had left and pointed to a broken floor panel that her foot had slipped through.

Emily stood up and yanked hard on the little girls leg, but she couldn't get the child free, then she tried stomping on the week bored that caged Alexi's foot, but it would not break. She became week and tired as she fought to stay awake, but her eyes were slowly fluttering closed. Her body was limp as she fell to the ground. Someone picked her up before she completely went unconscious and flipped her over their shoulder then carried her out. As there got out of the smoke she looked down at is yellow jacket as he dropped her on to the tailgate of one of the ambulances. A loud crack boomed and as Emily turned her head towards the house. She watches the rough cave in and fall into a puff of smoke and flames. Her heart stopped completely as a tear dripped down her warm cheek. "Alexi." She whispered as a paramedic strapped an oxygen mask around her face.

Derek came running stopping in front of her he gave her a look that could kill. "You're stupid Emily!" he yelled caching the attention of every passerby. "You could have died; we lost you once, not again. You can't always play hero!" but she was too distracted by the charred remains of what used to be a beautiful home.

As soon as Emily finally caught her breath she ripped the mask off and clutching the side of the ambulance for she was still dizzy Emily made her way to a firefighter standing lonesomely beside the light-post. She completely ignored what Derek was yelling, she was on a mission. She had to find out what happened to Alexi. "Excuse me." she coughed as she grabbed hold of the mailbox before she lost her balance.

His gaze darted up at her as she whipped sweat of his forehead. He didn't say a word, but Emily expected that she had his attention. "Do you know what happened to the little girl?"

He let out a sigh then looked down at the ground and bit his lip hard. He swallowed hard followed by a deep breath as a tear began to form in the corner of his eye, and Emily's heart stopped. "She is going to be okay, well physically. I don't know about emotionally though." He started "she has a dislocated foot and she inhaled a lot of smoke, but she will get better. But damn, she watched her family died. How does anyone get over that?"

She closed her eyes and slowly shook her head in sadness. "Can I see her?" Emily asked as she looked around.

He didn't even look up, he just pointed to an ambulance across the road, then he walked way.

For the light post Emily could barely see the little girl's body that was laid out on a gurney, and oxygen mask strapped to her pale face. Her eyes were closed and her foot was in a splint. The light for the surrounding houses mad the freshly shed tears shimmer as they slowly trickled down her cheeks. Then her eye abruptly shut and the back doors close.

"Emily! Stop running away from me because we both know that you need to go to the hospital." He said pointing to the minor burns on her arm.

"I'm fine!" she said as she began to cough.

"if your fine then just go get checked out."

She was about to argue with him when she thought that there was a chance she could see Alexi. She wanted to make sure that the little girl would be okay. "Okay fine. You happy I'm going." She huffed then she took a deep breath trying not to make it seem like she were gasping for air. Then she walk back to ambulance and sat down on the tail gate.

"I'm not trying to be mean here princess but what if something is wrong. Do you want something to happen to you cause I don't."

"I know that's why I'm not putting up a fight." Emily finished with a smile.

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Emily lied motionless on the hospital bed staring at the blank ceiling. She was annoyed since arriving at the hospital she had blown in numerous devises to check her breath. They had applied more lotion, then she needed to the burn on her arm and covered it with a bandage to keep it for becoming infected. Now she was left waiting for a doctor to return so she could leave.

Suddenly she was startled by the quick drawing of the curtain. "Hello agent. I see you have been taken care of."

"yes, and now I'm ready to go.", She said as she inched off the bed.

"I just have something for you. See your lungs are still weak so I'm going to give you this.", He said passing her a prescription bag.

"Ummm. What is it?" she asked in confusion.

"Inhalers, Flovent and Salbutamol. You have to take the orange one in the morning and once at night and the blue one is for emergencies." He explained as he nodded.

Emily discreetly rolled her eyes then thanked the doctor and left. As she was walking to the elevator she stopped at the reception's desk. Two nurses probably in their late fourties sat working on computers completely ignored her. Emily cleared her thought. "Excuse me?"

"Yes?" One of the ladies snapped in an angered tone as she lifted her eyes from her screen.

"I'm sorry, I was just wondering if you could tell me where Alexi Taylor-Watson is." Emily asked with a smile, but truthfully her heart was still trying to get past the fact that the poor little girl had no one to rely and depend on anymore and she was just plain annoyed by the doctors and services in this hospital.

"Visiting hours are over ma'am. You will have to return in the morning." then she turn back to her monition and began to type.

"I'm family though." She lied as she bit her tough.

"Family, right…" The sarcasm in her stern voice was very evident.

"Okay maybe not, but I'm FBI and I need to talk to her about what happened."

"Okay lady I'm tired of your lies. If you don't leave in a moment I will call security."

"No really look..." Emily said as she reached into her pocket and shoved the small black wallet in the lady's face.

She reached her hand and grabbed the back of her neck then cracked it. "Fine, what did you say her name was?" the lady asked.

"Alexi Taylor-Watson."

She began to type the name. Then, abruptly her expression became puzzling. She stopped looked at the screen then started typing again. Once again she stopped and stared anxiously at the display. "There is no one here under that name. I check the database for all the other hospitals to save to time, but there is no one listed under that name anywhere in Atlanta."

Emily tilted her head. Am I crazy? Did the smoke get to my head? She thought as he tried to think back to the events just hours ago. She saw the paramedics take her away. So what could have happened? "I saw her. She's about five feet tall and she had light brown hair. She looks to be about eleven and she's got a dislocated ankle."

"Let me try checking all the people who were admitted today for a dislocated ankle." She said then she turned her attention the monitor."There are three young girls admitted for dislocated ankles. But none of them are named Alexi." She conformed leaving Emily desperately confused.

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**so what do you think? how was it? did i do okay... are you confused or interested? please leave a review! :)**


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